Thursday, January 2, 2014

Christmas with the Cousins

We had an early Christmas with Uncle Stuart, Aunt Tiffany, Logan, Landon, Lexa, and Layton. Nathan and Charlotte were so excited to have their cousins come stay with us. They got here late on a Thursday night. Charlotte tried to stay up but didn't make it. Nathan, on the other hand, toughed it out. The kids were all asleep when they got to our house. I already had their pallet made on the floor in the guest room with the idea that Tiffany and Stuart could bring them in and put them right to bed. That did not happen. They came in asleep, but as soon as they walked in the house, they all woke up and were ready to play! I was actually kind of glad though, because Nathan was so excited...he would have been so disappointed to have to wait an extra night. Plus he had school the next day. Even though he would probably be tired, it was worth it. Friday was tough though...the last thing Nathan wanted to do was go to school and miss a playdate with his cousins. We all promised him we wouldn't do anything fun without him!
 
Grandmother came over Friday morning and then we took the kids to the Pirate McDonald's by her house. I didn't want Nathan to be disappointed about missing out on McDonald's so I got him just the toy (which is the only reason he wants to eat there anyway). After I picked Nathan up from school, we all went to Gattitown for dinner and to play games. The crazy part about Gattitown was that the first game Logan went to play, he hit the jackpot and won 1000 tickets! That never happens! They were all very excited for Logan. And after Gattitown was the big event they were all waiting for...to go to Toys R Us to pick out their Christmas presents from each other. It was a little bit hectic. Whenever we are at Target or the toy store, Nathan is always asking for a million different things that we end up saying no to. But when he actually has money to spend and a green light to pick something out, he just can't decide. All the other kids picked pretty quickly, but Nathan and Logan had to see all their options, compare, put back, pick up again, and so on...I thought we'd never get out of there! And the longer it took for the older boys to pick, the longer the other kids had to change their minds on what they previously chose. But I actually thought it was fun, and I know the kids loved it. Everyone left very happy. Nathan ended up picking out a light up sword from The Hobbit. Charlotte got a baby alive doll that has a band aid and ouchie on her knee.
 
On Saturday, we all went to LEGOLAND at the Grapevine Mills Mall. This was really fun. It was huge with tons of interactive things to do. There's a picture of everyone watching a 3-D movie. This was so funny because we kept watching the kids grabbing at the air! It was a really cool 3-D, actually 4-D movie...if there was wind blowing in the movie, a fan blew on the audience. In one scene, the characters sprayed a water hose, and then water squirted on all of us. The kids loved it. The kids got to see the movie, build lots of cool Lego creations, see Lego exhibits, and even ride rides. We were there for about 3 hours or maybe more...its all a blur...and then went to The Gaylord to walk around, see all the Christmas decorations, and eat a late lunch. We were all so tired that evening, but we still had to do our Christmas to and from Grandmother. The kids were so loud and bubbly that morning, but were super quiet on the way home. Nathan and Charlotte both fell asleep in the car coming home which I knew they would. But Nathan perked up once we got inside and said it was time for Grandmother's presents. Charlotte just couldn't muster up the energy to wake up. Sweet girl slept on the couch through the whole thing and didn't wake up until the next morning!
 
We gave Helen a Keurig which she loved, and she gave us all money which we LOVED!
 
We had such a great weekend together. It was loud and busy, but so worth it to see how much fun all of our kids had together. They all got along great, and even though they got out every single toy we own, it was the perfect opportunity for Wayne and I to go through the toys and purge when we cleaned up! Especially since Christmas was right around the corner!
 






















 
 

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